Pricing in Pix for companies is optional and has existed since 2020 – 06/22/2023 – Market

On Monday (19), Caixa announced that it would charge a fee on Pix transactions made by private legal entity customers from July. The bank highlighted that individuals, MEIs (individual micro-entrepreneurs) and beneficiaries of social programs would not be affected. Individual companies, although not mentioned in the note, follow the same rules as individuals.

From then on, deputies and senators from the opposition to the government began to pass on the news, claiming that “the PT will tax Pix”. The negative repercussion led the public bank to temporarily suspend the measure. In a note, Caixa stated that the suspension serves “so that customers can adapt and receive extensive clarification from the bank on the subject”. News sites reported that the pressure to reverse the implementation of the tariff would have come from the Planalto Palace itself.

The coming and going of the bank, as well as the political exploitation of the fact, left many doubts in the population. The Comprova Project decided to clarify in the Comprova section what actually happened and what this “tax on the Pix” would be.

How do we check

You can consult the Pix rules on the Central Bank website (here and here). Information about the announcement of the collection of accounts from legal entities was found on the Caixa website (here and here). More information was requested by email to the bank’s communication department. We interviewed Mareska Tiveron, specialist in banking law, and Rafael Gomes Gobbi, specialist in tax law.

Pix pricing rules

Physical people, MEIs and EIs (individual companies) cannot be charged when they make a payment via Pix-except when they do it through face-to-face or telephone channels. Therefore, there is a mistaken idea that Pix would not be charged under any circumstances.

Individuals can have Pix charged when:

• They receive the money for commercial purposes, that is, as payment for a commercial activity or service.
• They receive more than 30 Pix per month.
• Receive with dynamic QR Code or static QR Code.

It is also possible to be charged upon receipt in an account defined in the contract as exclusively for commercial use.

Legal entity accounts can be charged for both payment and receipt of Pix. If she receives the Pix from an individual, MEI, EI or another company via QR Code, she can also be charged.

Some of the largest banks in the country already charge a fee for using Pix payment by legal companies (InfoMoney, Estadão): Banco do Brasil, Santander, Bradesco and Itaú. MercadoPago charges depending on the modality, for example, through QR Code. Nubank, Inter and C6 do not charge. At Caixa, before being suspended, the charge would be 0.89% of the value of the operation, with a tariff limit of R$ 8.50 for the transfer modality and R$ 130 for the purchase modality.

Difference between tariff and tax

Mareska Tiveron, a specialist in banking law, explains that a tariff is the charge for the use of non-essential services, made indirectly by the state through private service providers on behalf of the state. “The company may or may not use Pix and, therefore, will only pay the fee if it actually uses the service or if the bank chooses to charge that amount.”

The tax, on the other hand, is collected directly by the government without the intermediation of companies and without the possibility of saying that the service provided is optional.

Rafael Gomes Gobbi, a specialist in tax law, agrees that the announced charge would be a fee, not a tax. “This is a non-essential service, and it is up to each company to decide whether or not to use the service.”

why do we explain

Comprova Explains clarifies important issues so that the population understands issues being discussed on social networks that may generate misinformation. Pix is ​​a new payment method that has gained high adherence and popularity. Since the election, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been the target of rumors that accused him of wanting to end Pix.

Other checks on the topic

Comprova has already verified that Lula’s government plan, during the election campaign, would include Pix pricing. It also showed that Pix had been under discussion at the Central Bank since 2018.

This content was checked by Estadão and published on June 22 by Projeto Comprova, a coalition that brings together 41 vehicles to check viral content. It was verified by Folha, UOL, A Gazeta, Plural Curitiba and Grupo Sinos.